Running a Business

This section takes you through every important aspect of how to run a successful business. It offers expert guides and advice articles on the key elements of business management such as employing staff, finding customers, marketing and sales, pricing, people management, office and home working, business technology and everything else an entrepreneur must tackle in order to succeed.

Valuing a business to buy

If you are looking to buy a business, there are several factors that can influence the price you will pay.

Buying and selling a company

Business management

Improve your forecasting skills

Forecasting is one of the cornerstones on which your business is built, and as such, should not be a task that is hurried or completed without due care and attention.

Business management

Ten tips to reduce waste

UK businesses could save a staggering £3 billion a year by putting more effort into recycling and reducing waste, according to Government advice group Envirowise.

Employing & managing staff

Avoid discrimination headaches

Business owners have to be extremely careful not to discriminate on grounds of age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and many, many more.

Marketing

Price hikes get the message across

If you are looking to announce a price increase, its important to test the market first with a few customers by telephone or face-to-face, to gauge reaction.

Business Technology

Is your website legal and accessible to all internet users?

A report from the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) says that hundreds of businesses may face legal action because their websites are not accessible to disabled customers.

Finding and selling to customers

Ten ways to win new business

It's no secret that it costs a lot more to acquire new customers than to retain the ones you've got.

Marketing

How to set up a marketing database

Allocating time and resources to gaining new customers can be a difficult issue for small businesses – purchasing a database for marketing purposes can sometimes be out of the question.

Finding and selling to customers

Ten ways to win new business

It's no secret that it costs a lot more to acquire new customers than to retain the ones you've got.

Marketing

How to set up a marketing database

Allocating time and resources to gaining new customers can be a difficult issue for small businesses – purchasing a database for marketing purposes can sometimes be out of the question.

Buying and selling a company

Buying a business – the rules for non-UK citizens

If you intend to buy or start a business in the UK and you are not a British citizen, there are certain criteria you must fulfil.

Employing & managing staff

Protecting your business when an employee leaves

You can't prevent an employee leaving your business but there are steps you can take to ensure that important clients do not go with them.

Employing & managing staff

How to make sure you keep your best staff

There are two ways of looking at high employee turnover rates: are you getting the right staff in the first place, and are you making sure that you are keeping your best staff? Losing staff can effectively kill a small business because your employees cover a range of tasks.

Business management